


Beautiful Cruel World

by Goth-Bias (GothBias)



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: (There’s not any!), Alternate Universe - Vampire, Awkward Boners, Domestic Fluff, Human Leorio, Human/Vampire Relationship, It’s my gay vampire time piece and I get to choose if there’s homophobia or not, Kurapika centric, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Sexual Tension, Vampire Kurapika, Yes you read that right
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-14 12:42:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29046333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GothBias/pseuds/Goth-Bias
Summary: He continues on his walk back home, head high, and tries to ignore that for the rest of the walk his head is full of the way light caught and turned brown eyes to amber right before him.Kurapika has seen many many, beautiful creatures, but not one quite as beautiful as that man.He doesn’t dwell on what it means.
Relationships: Kurapika/Leorio Paladiknight
Comments: 9
Kudos: 26





	1. March 16th, 1999 - March 26th, 1999

_March 16th, 1999_

The day is unusually hot for so early on in the year. The kind of heat that keeps most people safely locked inside their homes with their fans on blast.

Kurapika would likely be among them, had he been like normal people who could sweat or be affected by heat. The sun is a different enemy for him than others, but with just a wide brim hat and conservative clothing to cover the skin not protected by the large shadow the brim cast he can conquer it.

He may look a little odd wearing an impossibly baggy, long sleeved black turtle neck tucked into his belted light wash jeans in the steadily rising heat of the afternoon, but it works. As long as anyone doesn’t stare too long at the silk gloves on his hands or thinks too hard about the large brim hat he can play human.

Not that Kurapika really wants to play human, in fact, he didn’t really  like humans to begin with.

They’re selfish by nature and so incredibly bland. He’s seen thousands and thousands of humans over the one thousand and nineteen years he’s been alive. Without a certainty of a doubt he can say not a single one of them stick out in his mind. Every face is just a hodge-podge of blue-green-grey-brown eyes and pale-beige-tan-dark skin.

Maybe if he cared he would see them more individually, but Kurapika simply doesn’t.

Mingling with humans became more dangerous over the years as more and more people became privy to the existence of the supernatural. With knowledge of them, came fear of them, with fear came interest, and then  sport.

If sport could be defined as the barbaric action of taking a vampire’s life and stealing their fangs for display; Kurapika doesn’t define that as sport, by the way. Werewolves are killed while in wolf form, heads mounted on walls or pelts made into rugs. Fairies are pinned like butterflies and displayed in cases. Kurapika has heard stories of shapeshifters being sold to circuses, though he’s never seen that one in person.

Humans are barbaric in the sense they feel the need to maim or capture and show off wins from the things they have conquered. Mounting antlers and stuffing smaller game to show off in their cabins made explicitly to do so. The teeth of his vampire kin hanging from ears and necklaces and dyed vibrant reds as a sign of “luck”.

The fear associated with being hunted means Kurapika hasn’t seen another supernatural being in close to twenty years.

Kurapika has killed, he will not pretend his hands have not spilled blood, but never had he ever felt the need to show off parts of the animals or humans he’s consumed blood from.

It’s barbaric and alike opening your mouth to show your chewed food at the dinner table.

Humanity simply does not interest him, anything that uses a thought process like that is hardly his idea of something  _sane_. So he pretends to be a human, simply to survive, and pretends not the be disgusted at the notion.

“Excuse me!” A gruff voice calls out and Kurapika stops his determined strut, pausing to peer behind him.

Kurapika may not remember any of the humans he’s seen, but he’s certain none of them had been this beautiful- or  _tall_ .

Surely he’d remember a human well over six feet with shoulders twice as wide as Kurapika’s whole body!

“May I help you?” He asks, head tilting ever so slightly to the side, blond hair following the motion. He speaks to humans often, he has to work after all, but it is rare for him to speak to one outside of the hospital- much less be stopped by one on the street.

“Hey man, you uh, dropped this.” He holds out Kurapika’s favorite earring, the swinging ruby shining in the sun, then blinks in shock once he gets a good look at him, “Wow you’re gorgeous.” The man’s brown eyes go wide like he can’t quite believe what he said and he quickly drops the earring into the silk covered palm Kurapika has outstretched.

“Oh. Thank you.” He says, taken off guard. He hasn’t seen himself in the mirror in roughly a thousand years, the shape of his eyes or the slope of his nose completely evading his memory. He knows he is blond, he can see the strands of his hair without a mirror, and he knows his eyes used to be blue but in the last hundred years or so he’s been told they’re grey.

In those many long years, rarely had any human commented on his looks in a way that could tell him anything about those blurry features washed from his mind by time.

Comments like “Your nose is a lovely shape,” doesn’t exactly tell him the shape and size of it, touching it doesn’t help much either.

He adjusts the simple gold and ruby earring in his hand, then puts it back in his ear without pulling his eyes away from the man. Not being able to see your reflection teaches you many ways to get ready without needing it.

“Jeez, sorry, that was probably really weird. I’ve just never seen someone with red eyes before.” The man says sheepishly, one of his large hands coming up to rub the back of his neck.

_Red?_

“They’re contacts.” Kurapika rolls with the development, the lie falling off his tongue quickly. The man grins at him, wide and full of teeth and Kurapika forces a quick, closed mouth grin in response.

The human seems nice enough, but most of them do, things wouldn’t change just because he happens to find this human aesthetically pleasing or  nice enough . Kurapika isn’t normally someone shallow nor unintelligent, so he just files this moment away as an oddity.

He supposes that once every thousand years or so, it’ll become natural to encounter a human that takes even himself off guard. One beautiful human cannot make up for the faults of the rest.

“Well if you’d excuse me then...” Kurapika watches the man’s mouth open, but doesn’t wait for a response before turning on his heel and leaving. He feels the man’s eyes burn into his back and he’s acutely aware he had been rude, but Kurapika does not care for the fickle feelings of humans.

He never has and he’s certainly not starting now.

He continues on his walk back home, head high, and tries to ignore that for the rest of the walk his head is full of the way light caught and turned brown eyes to amber right before him.

Kurapika has seen many many, beautiful creatures, but not one quite as beautiful as that man.

He doesn’t dwell on what it means.

_March 19th, 1999_

Kurapika lives on the outskirts of a town so small he’s not sure it’s actually on any maps. It takes him almost thirty minutes to walk to town every day, but he has all the time in the world. The cottage he lives in is small, the woods around it leave very little room for much else and a babbling creek cuts through his backyard. He wants for little, not that has very much to begin with, but he’s content. The little town and the even littler cottage will serve him well for the next ten or so years, or however long it takes for someone to notice he hasn’t aged a day.

Last time it was only a short five years, but he’s lived in many places for upwards of ten years before anyone notices. His favorite town he lived in he made it nearly twelve years before having to pick up and leave, he only hopes this town will be a long rest like that one.

He likes it, as far as towns go it’s one of the best set ups he’s had in a while. It has a small enough population that it doesn’t reek of human, but not so small that everyone knows his business. He worked briefly his first year at the vet clinic in town to get his blood rations in secret, switching over to the hospital only because the guilt he felt taking blood donations from animals was surprisingly overwhelming.

Animals are pure, they know nothing more than what they are. Taking from them, even if only a little, feels hypocritical of him.

He liked working at the clinic, he’s picked up many tricks and trades over the years, but working in little farm towns always served as a treat for him. He likes animals and knows he’s controlled enough to be around them, but still yet he would much rather admire them from afar than hands on like the job requires just in case he slips.

Taking from the blood donations at the hospital is easier, Kurapika feels no remorse for humans.

Next month will be two years since he’s moved to this town, it’s an offhand reminder as he thumbs through his diary.

Although, it’s not much of a diary so much as the accounts of his travels. He’s been so many different places over many different years, in the earlier days of being reborn he slipped up and returned to a town far before he should have and nearly lost his life as a result.

Time has made Kurapika weary and cold- both in the physical and mental sense.

The day is similarly cold, the temperature having drastically dropped the last few days since the heat wave. Outside between gaps in the canopy overhead the sky is dusty grey and stormy, Kurapika only hopes he doesn’t have to walk in the rain for his next shift tomorrow.

For today, all he can do is check on his chickens and make sure their coop is prepared in case of a storm. They stopped laying eggs through the cold months, but keeping them fat and happy until the warm months would lead to eggs to sell at the market in the summer.

Kurapika throws his wide brim hat over his head and walks out the front door into the cold afternoon.

_March 20th, 1999_

It’s raining outside when he rises from his bed, thick sheets of water pelting through the leafy foliage overhead. From the window he can see the creek rushing dangerously quick, water similarly close to overrunning. He stares just a moment longer and gets up out of bed, placing the book he had been reading off to the side. Even though the bed isn’t exactly needed for practical reasons since Kurapika doesn’t sleep, it serves as something to keep up appearances or to simply curl up on at the end of the night.

He likes laying up with his thick quilt and reading the classics, it soothes his time addled brain. He thinks a lot, especially since he has more things to think about than most.

He brushes a hand through his thick hair, fixing the flyaway strands caused by laying against the pillow case. With that settled he begins getting dressed for his shift at the hospital, already begrudging having to walk through the downpour.

He picks out a random outfit he would normally wear on days off and pulls it on, resigning to packing his uniform and towel in a rugsack. Working in a soaking wet uniform is not on his agenda for the day, nor would it ever be.

The rain is an annoying development, even if he had seen it coming. He steps outside the cottage and only hopes his rugsack doesn’t soak all the way through.

Unfortunately, the state of his uniform is far from his only concern, despite the canopy of tree and foliage the rain comes down in heavy sheets and he’s soaked within minutes of his walk.

He can feel the chill of the air blowing on his wet skin, not that it actually affects him beyond sensation. The rain soaks his clothes, making him heavy as the cloth drags and sticks to his skin. It’s annoying, certainly, but Kurapika simply keeps walking through the woods.

The woods around his home are thick, but take very little time to navigate through if you know what to look for. He has a path leading up to the cottage from the road, albeit overgrown, so he navigates the terrain with careful eyes. It only takes him five minutes to clear through the woods, but without the presence of thick leafy trees overhead the rain falls harder and thicker than before.

The rain falls from the sky so hard it nearly stings as it hits him, even through his clothes, but Kurapika ignores it and continues on down the road. Twenty five more minutes of this wouldn’t be too horrible, he would definitely get to work on time with enough time to dry off in the bathroom and change. He’s near certain his rugsack is soaked through, along with his towel, but he can only hope that his uniform survived the rainfall from its position at the very bottom of his bag.

His hat keeps the majority of the rain out of his face- until the wind blows and sends droplets flying into it.

He walks for ten more minutes before the sound of a car horn has him pausing in his tracks. A beat up Toyota Camry is stopped in the road, chips and nicks in the black paint obvious to Kurapika’s trained eyes.

Behind the wheel is the man with the brown eyes that had stopped Kurapika to give him his earring a few days back.

The man rolls down his window just a smidge and over the thudding of rain on asphalt he hears him yell, “Hey, you need a ride?” He considers for less than a second, not wanting to spend a moment longer in the rain. He rounds the front of the car and pulls the passenger seat open, sliding onto the jean jacket the other man had hastily slung over the upholstery at some point.

“Thank you for the ride, I’m just headed up to the hospital.” Kurapika says once he’s buckled in. He looks up from the belt once he’s sure he’s hooked in and finds the man watching him with subtle fascination.

He isn’t sure if he’s just the type to keep his heart on his sleeve or if Kurapika has just gotten better at discerning people’s expressions over the years, but the interest is written over every square inch of his skin.

Perhaps a bit of both.

The man seems to jerk from his stupor at being caught staring, his cheeks flushing as his head snaps back to the road ahead. He accelerates just a touch too hard and the wheels spin; he corrects himself just as quickly and they continue down the road as normal.

“Don’t worry about it,” He says dismissively, “It’s raining cats and dogs out there, don’t you have a car?”

“No, my house isn’t exactly... vehicle accessible.” He doesn’t bother to mention he doesn’t actually  know how to drive.

“Melody mentioned you lived in that old cottage, if you need help clearing out that pathway I’m sure you could find someone to.” He says absentmindedly, a hand coming from the wheel to scratch at his jaw, before returning back to the wheel. They’re going rather slow due to the rain, Kurapika is near certain he would be going faster if he walked, but he’s not getting rain pelted at him either.

He considers it a fair enough trade off.

“Yes, I probably could.” He agrees.

There’s a quiet moment where the only sound is rain pinging against the roof of the car and the other man’s racing heart. Kurapika can just barely hear it over the rain, probably wouldn’t hear it at all if it wasn’t beating as erratically as it is.

Despite the frenzy, it’s quite the soothing sound to hear paired with the rain.

Though the silence doesn’t last long as the man swallows hard and opens his mouth to speak, “Forgot my manners there for a moment, I’m Leorio.”

He hardly cares for human manners enough to be offended, not that he can exactly say that, so he offers a close lipped grin.

“Kurapika. Not to worry, I wasn’t exactly polite myself last time we met.”

“We have our days. Melody says you work up at the hospital?” Leorio asks and he is so fiercely reminded of how much he hates small talk.

Melody, however, is a safe topic. He worked with the woman briefly at the vet clinic and she gave Kurapika the impression she isn’t exactly quite human herself. She is an unattractive woman with an uncanny ability to pick up on heartbeats and rhythms. He’s never been shallow and as far as humans go, he supposes she’s okay.

“Yes, I do. I’m a nurse. I used to work with Melody at the veterinary clinic when I first moved here.”

“Oh yeah? Must be the ambitious type then if you’ve got qualifications for both medicine and animal science. How old are you anyway?”

“I suppose you could say that. I’m twenty four.” Only about nine hundred and ninety five years off.

“Damn!” Leorio whistles lowly, “Twenty four and with enough accomplishments to work in two separate fields. That’s impressive. I’m still in school, I just turned nineteen earlier this month.”

Kurapika had been turned April 4th, a little under a thousand years ago, on his nineteenth birthday. In just a few short weeks he would be turning one thousand and twenty years old. He tries to shake the instant wistfulness that creeps up on him at the connection.

“You would be surprised how much the two jobs cross. You’re a premed student then?” Kurapika finally says after his eyes catch sight of a medical text book in the backseat and the silence went on just a tad too long as Leorio waited on him to say something.

“Sure am, I want to be a doctor.” The man says proudly.

“Interesting,” it really isn’t, “why is that?”

“The money’s good.” He says and Kurapika raises an eyebrow. He’s not surprised really, humans are greedy beings, but it seems... out of character from what little he knows of this man.

From his actions he would think he’s got a big heart.

_‘Oh well,’_ Kurapika muses,  _‘I’m bound to be wrong on occasion.’_

“Indeed it is.” He replies and the car falls silent again. This time, neither one of them speak up and Kurapika spends the rest of the car ride watching rain droplets race down the window.

He makes it to work on time and when he leaves work that night the rain has stopped, leaving the ground wet and the air cold.

He walks home and tries not to jostle the blood bags carefully tucked in the rugsack slung over his shoulder.

_March 25th, 1999_

The next few days, Kurapika does nothing outside of work worth noting. It rains almost every day, but not nearly as hard as earlier that week. He walks to work every day, barely gets wet, and sees nothing of Leorio.

It’s strange how often Kurapika finds his mind wandering back to the man. He finds himself thinking back on the last conversation they had and wondering what he should’ve said instead. It’s a weird development, Kurapika hasn’t done something like that since his early days of being a vampire when he was grasping on to his humanity like water sliding between the gaps in his fingers.

When he’s not thinking explicitly of Leorio, he’s thinking of the possibility of clearing out the path from the road and learning to drive. It isn’t as though he  couldn’t , he’s very smart and picks up on things quickly. If he’s honest, he doesn’t like cars. They’re loud and unsightly. He understands why someone would choose to drive, but simply can’t understand the  enthusiasts.

He misses when riding in horse drawn carriages was the normal mode of transport.

Owning horses had been fun, maybe he would consider doing that again in the future. They’re one of the few animals that’s life span doesn’t go away in a blink, closer to several long blinks in rapid succession instead.

He takes what he can get.

It’s getting later on in the night, Kurapika has been off work for about an hour now and just made it home thirty minutes ago. It’s below freezing outside, the drizzling rain so cold it felt like tiny knives stabbing his skin. Even inside the warm cottage, Kurapika can feel the chill from the outside on his cheeks as the cottage’s fireplace melts it away. It isn’t exactly necessary in any case, being cold or being hot is more of an annoyance than an actual issue.

Kurapika lets out a sigh, pulling the navy blue quilt around his body as he settles into his plush couch. It’s slightly overstuffed and a sickeningly rich red color, but it serves its purpose. He reaches for a book from the bookshelf on the wall directly next to him when he hears the sound of footfall outside.

It’s quiet and muffled against the leaves on the ground, only punctuated by the heaviness of the feet and cracking of sticks beneath them. If it weren’t for his advanced hearing, Kurapika wouldn’t have heard the footsteps at all.

He’s never had a visitor out at the cottage before and to get one only moments before midnight is concerning at best.

Kurapika raises up off the couch, quilt still hauled around his shoulders, and goes to the window closest to him. He pulls the thick curtains to the side and almost immediately his eyes are drawn to a tall figure bathed in moonlight.

Quickly, Kurapika realizes it’s Leorio. The man’s face is pinched with panic, his footfall uneven and staggered from trying to navigate the unfamiliar terrain at night. His arms are cradling something wrapped in what appears to be the jean jacket Kurapika had sat on when Leorio gave him a ride to work all those days ago.

Curious and confused, Kurapika throws open his front door right as the other man raises his hand to knock on the door. Now that he’s closer he can see tuffs of white fleece through the gaps where the denim doesn’t completely cover.

Leorio is cradling a little lamb, no more than a few days old if Kurapika is correct.

“Sorry, I know it’s late. The farmer in town told me it was born just a few days ago and wasn’t doing well and I just couldn’t stand to see it suffer so I bought it off him and now I don’t have the money to get it checked at the vet and-“

“Hand it over to me, I’ll see what I can do.” Kurapika says decisively, quickly tossing his quilt onto the chair at his dining room table right next to him. Once his hands are free Leorio wastes no time gently handing the tiny animal over to him. Without even weighing the animal he can tell it is underweight, maybe five pounds if it’s lucky.

Kurapika backs away from the door and strides through his house. Careful so not to shuffle the lamb, he begins grabbing a stack of old cotton blankets and a large laundry basket from on top of the washer and drier. When he turns he sees Leorio hovering just outside the door, trembling from the cold.

“Well, aren’t you coming inside? I could use an extra set of hands.” Kurapika says offhandedly as he begins walking into the living room. The lamb is cradled in one arm and the laundry basket with blankets is tucked beneath his other arm.

“Right, right, sorry. Where do you want me?” He asks, scrambling in the door. He closes the door behind him a tad harder than he needs and the small cottage rocks with the motion. Leorio mutters another apology, cheeks burning.

“I’m setting it up near the fireplace, while I check it over I need you to keep it calm.” Kurapika says, completely ignoring the apology. He kneels down beside the fire place and keeps the lamb tucked to his chest as his free hand sets the basket down, arranging the blankets to create a cushion.

Kurapika has to give him credit where credit is due. Leorio doesn’t utter another word and kneels down on the floor next to him, gently pressing his fingers against the lamb’s neck to check for a pulse.

“Don’t worry, it’s still breathing.” Kurapika mumbles as he gently maneuvers the lamb out of the jacket and into the basket. He can hear the lamb’s breath rapidly whistling from its nose, he’s almost certain it has an issue within its lungs.

Leorio doesn’t respond, not that Kurapika expect him to, large fingers gently brushing down the length of the lamb’s spine as Kurapika gently begins prodding.

The lethargy is obvious without even a pause, the poor thing barely lifting its head when Kurapika presses a gentle, yet firm, hand against its chest. He can feel the small creature struggling to breathe, taking shallow breaths in quick succession from the last.

Pneumonia seems most likely.

“Did the farmer say anything about its eating habits?” He asks quietly, mentally running through everything he would need to get the lamb back to full health. 

Antibiotics, if pneumonia is the case. Milk, for obvious reasons. Depending on Leorio’s plans for the lamb another lamb should be purchased once they get the lamb back on its feet, they get lonely on their own.

“He said it wouldn’t latch on, tried to feed it from a bottle and moved to tube feeding. I’ve got some formula and the tube out in my car, but I couldn’t get it up your path.”

Kurapika nods in acknowledgement, “We’re looking at pneumonia. I have some penicillin in my bathroom cabinet, first door on the left. Once you grab that for me I’m going to need you to get outside and get that formula and feeding tube.”

Leorio hums in response, giving the lamb one last lingering pet before standing up and heading down the hall.

While he’s gone Kurapika quickly checks for the lamb’s gender. Calling the poor thing an  it is dehumanizing, Kurapika should know. When Leorio comes back and hands Kurapika the bottle of penicillin, the vampire offers him a close lipped grin.

“She’s a girl, by the way.”

“Yeah?” Leorio scratches his jaw, “I’ll think up a name on the walk back to my car.”

Kurapika nods, watching Leorio leave out the front door from the corner of his eye, his tall frame having to gently duck down to refrain from hitting his head on the frame. He turns his attentions towards the lamb, dark eyes staring blearily up at him through white lashes.

He offers a genuine smile, sharp fangs resting on his bottom lip.

“Okay little lamb, let’s get you healed up.”

_March 26, 1999_

Leorio returns ten minutes after midnight, covered in mud, but with a large container full of formula and a tube.

The lamb took her medicine with little fuss, not that Kurapika really thinks she could put up much of a fight regardless, and had been napping away since.

“Put the formula down on the kitchen table, we can switch out so I can get her something to eat and put the formula up.” Kurapika says quietly. If it weren’t for all the blood bags casually sitting in his fridge he would let Leorio do it himself and direct him from the floor.

The man does as he says and crosses from the kitchen into the living room, a thoughtful look on his face.

“I’m thinking Edelweiss.” Leorio says after a moment, kneeling down to sit next to Kurapika on the floor.

“Edelweiss...” Kurapika repeats, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah and what about it?” Leorio fires back quickly.

“Nothing. She’s yours after all.” Kurapika amends, raising up from the ground to begin getting her food ready. She would have to eat every two hours and he knows she probably hasn’t eaten since before Leorio came rushing to him about an hour ago.

From the open floor plan of Kurapika’s cottage, even from the kitchen he can keep a close eye on Leorio. The taller man is exhausted, his shoulders slumped. From the angle he can’t see his face, but earlier Kurapika saw tale tell signs of exhaustion written all over his face.

“If you want you can lay down in my room for a few hours.” Kurapika offers, not looking up as he prepares the formula and tube.

“Nah it’s okay. You’ve got work in a few hours, don’t you? Someone has to stay up with her.” He says offhandedly, a yawn in his voice.

Kurapika really doesn’t know how Leorio knows that or how to argue with someone when he can’t tell exactly tell him he doesn’t sleep. He mulls it over as he moves his blood bags discreetly from the fridge to the freezer. He would need to thaw them out next time he eats, but it is only a small price to pay to keep them hidden from Leorio’s view.

“I was sleeping before you showed up. I’m plenty rested.” A little lie, but he technically  is well rested, “You’ll need to be rested to take care of her while I’m at work. Assuming you don’t have class tomorrow, that is.”

“No, I don’t have class.” Leorio hesitates to say.

“Then that’s settled. Sit with me while I feed her so you know how to do it and then you can head off to bed. I’ll wake you when I leave for work.”

Kurapika shows Leorio how to feed Edelweiss, verbalizing each step as he does it. She still won’t latch, but the nature of tube feeding mean she really doesn’t need to. She still gets a full stomach and Leorio’s relief is visible.

When Leorio rises up to his feet, he parts with a heavy pat against Kurapika’s shoulder. His hand dwarfs it, finger tips brushing against his collar bone. Warmth blooms beneath Kurapika’s skin and he shoots a wide eyed look over his shoulder at Leorio’s retreating back.

He can’t remember the last time someone had deliberately touched him, much less the last time he  let  someone touch him. He touches people all the time at the hospital, kind of has to considering the job description, but never had a patient deliberately touched him.

Accidental touches happen rarely, purposeful touches even rarer from his sheer disdain for humans and quick reflexes.

Why is this human so different from all the others Kurapika has encountered all these years? Is he going soft in his old age?

The blond sighs and reaches for the book he meant to read earlier, settling in for a long morning.


	2. March 26th, 1999 - April 7th, 1999

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before we begin: please head the rating change, things will amp up from here!
> 
> Also, trigger warning for brief and non-explicit talks of disordered eating. No one ACTUALLY has one, but it is briefly discussed (if you’re unsure about being able to read that portion stop reading at “Leorio scratches his jaw again, seeming to consider his words for a moment” and start back up April 7th, 1999!

_March 26th, 1999_

Kurapika spends the next few hours alternating between feeding Edelweiss and reading a book, checking the clock hanging on his wall every so often. She makes progress, however small it may be, even lifting her head up from the basket to see where Kurapika is on several different occasions.

She’s a sweet thing and her eyes are almost human-like in the way that they seem to have intelligence beyond a lamb’s capacity. He keeps a hand in her basket as he reads, gently twisting his fingers along the grains of her curly coat.

He’s become attached so quickly that it’s almost embarrassing.

When the clock strikes seven thirty a.m. he rises on numb legs and walks down the hall to his room. The door is ajar so Kurapika nudges it open with his hip, just enough that he can lean into the room.

Leorio is bundled up under his blankets, hair just barely seen from over the covers. Kurapika can see his glasses sat on the bedside table and his shoes haphazardly kicked into the corner. His muddied clothes are in a heap beside the shoes, pointedly the furthest part in the room away from his rug.

It’s an odd sight to see, a stranger in his room, but somehow not out of place. It’s his room, just slightly to the left, in a metaphorical sense.

“Leorio,” Kurapika says loudly, “I’m about to start getting ready for work. You should get up.”

The man stirs, his hands coming up to yank the blanket out of his face. His eyes blearily open, unfocused and staring emptily at Kurapika from over the fabric.

“What time is it?” He asks, his voice thick and rough with sleep. It still distinctly sounds like him, just deeper, and Kurapika can’t help but admire the sound.

“Seven thirty. I have to leave in ten minutes.” He finally says.

“Okay, I’ll get out of your room so you can get ready. You can take my car today if you want.” Leorio mutters, rolling out of Kurapika’s bed and nearly tripping as he does.

Kurapika sees a flash of white and blue striped boxers tight where they rode up on sculpted thighs, seemingly uncaring about the presence of someone else in the room. He stretches, a tired groan leaving his lips and Kurapika watches as the muscles in his back flex, dimples in his lower back right above...

Kurapika turns around hastily and retreats into the hall, willing himself to stop thinking about what lies just below back dimples and boxers.

He projects his voice a bit so Leorio can hear him through the door and tries to ignore the pounding of the other man’s heart through the door, “No, that’s alright. I like walking. I haven’t gone grocery shopping so there’s nothing in the fridge, do you need me to leave money for you to order something?”

“Don’t worry about it, I should have enough. You think you have any clothes in here that would fit me? I don’t wanna get dried mud around your house.”

_‘That’s a long shot,’_ Kurapika thinks amusedly. Leorio is a big man with long legs and broad shoulders. In some ways he reminds Kurapika of a puppy that hasn’t quite grown into his paws yet, except Leorio is a grown man and his hands just happen to be massive like the rest of him.

Kurapika’s brain stutters in its train of thought.

“I don’t think so. You can check my wardrobe if you want.”

There’s a long pause in silence where all Kurapika can hear is the shuffling of cloth and quiet, barely heard swears muttered beneath the other man’s breath.

“Alright, by some miracle I found something.” Leorio says and Kurapika backs up as his footsteps approach, avoiding the door hitting him as it opens. The man is wearing a black t-shirt that hangs off Kurapika’s shoulders when he wears it, but on him it’s tight as a glove and shows off his biceps. He’s also wearing a pair of Kurapika’s plaid thermal pants, but they’re noticeably tight as well and definitely too short as they show off much of his calf. They’ll work for the time being, seeing as Leorio wouldn’t be doing much else besides hanging around the cottage.

“Okay, good. Feel free to use my washer and drier for your clothes today. Edelweiss should be ready to eat in about thirty minutes. Around lunch you should be able to give her another penicillin. I’ll be coming in late-”

“Wait, slow down sunshine. Exactly when are we going to talk about what’s going on here?” Leorio cuts him off, the nickname rolling off his tongue like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

“Pray tell... What exactly  is  going on here to talk about?” Kurapika asks slowly, eyes narrowing ever so slightly. He surely hopes Leorio didn’t happen to stumble upon his secret somehow and is trying to confront him about it- for his own safety.

Kurapika likes this town- starting to think he doesn’t mind Leorio’s company much- he would hate to ruin that by having to kill him.

“I mean I spent the night in your bed and I’m going to spend the day in your house while you’re not even here! That’s what.” Leorio rolls his eyes and Kurapika bristles.

“Maybe this is simply my common sense speaking, but Edelweiss’s level of care doesn’t lead me to believe only one person can care for her and considering you’re the one who brought her to me in the first place-“

“Alright smartass, I get it.” Leorio interrupts for the second time that morning and Kurapika grinds his teeth.

“Do you, boy?” He asks slowly, precise and calculating.

If Leorio knew the way Kurapika could drain the blood from his body with a single bite he wouldn’t be so cocky. His heart beat is steady in his ears, blood rushing so loudly the blond can barely focus on anything else.

It would be so easy to change that with Leorio unprepared and leaning lazily against the wall.

Kurapika takes a breath and steadies himself. Leorio doesn’t know, nor would he ever if he could help it.

“Yes. I do.” The younger man retorts, either ignoring the tension in the air or unable to read the room.

“Continue to believe that, then.” Kurapika’s words hold a double meaning. He turns on his heel and disappears into his room to get ready for work.

As he pulls his uniform on he takes increasingly different measures to compose himself before walking out into the hall. High strung and angry is no way to be around a human while hungry and  boy  is Kurapika hungry. He forgotten to eat between feeding Edelweiss and his book, now he is paying the price for that.

He clasps and unclasps his hands rapidly, nails cutting into his palms. The minuscule pinpricks do absolutely nothing to pull Kurapika from his anger like it would in earlier days when he wasn’t so tolerant to pain. His teeth ache, his stomach is growling, and he can barely hear himself think over the sound of Leorio’s blood rushing through his body from just beyond the wall opposite of him.

He takes staggering breaths, curls in on himself momentarily on the edge of his bed until he calms down. His body is still shaking with the effort when he finally gets dressed and leaves for work.

Leorio is feeding Edelweiss on the floor of the living room, her body stretched out on the floor with him as her chin rests on his knee. He looks ever so beautiful and while it doesn’t surprise Kurapika it does dry his mouth up in a way he doesn’t expect.

Sun streams through the windows and paints him gold, eyes amber brown and endless. He attentively observes the lamb as she eats, his large hands gently skating across her tiny body. He looks so timeless, like a wonder of the world-  _unexplainable_ _,_ for lack of a better word.

Leorio’s eyes lock with his and opens his mouth to speak, but barely a syllable passes his lips before Kurapika leaves.

Giving the man any more opportunity to drive him insane would only put him in more danger. For the first time in the last few hours Kurapika wonders exactly what the  hell  he is doing. Being in close contact with a human, letting him stay in his home,  ogling  him?

It’s not like him and it’s just as confusing as it is concerning.

He sighs to himself and begins the long trek to work, deciding to get himself a quick snack at some point during his shift.

He’s late getting there.

_March 27th, 1999_

It’s a little past one a.m. when Kurapika enters the cottage, his arms full of groceries and his hair pulled from his face in a rough ponytail. Most of his hair isn’t long enough to go up, hanging wildly around his face, but the parts that aren’t falling into his face are easily contained for the time being.

“About time.” A groggy voice calls out and Kurapika just barely tilts his head to catch sight of the other man. He’s curled up on the couch wrapped in Kurapika’s favorite blue quilt, Edelweiss nestled in the space between his arm and his ribs. The little lamb is fast asleep, chest rising and falling much steadier than it had been the previous day.

“I told you I would be late.” Kurapika reminds, dumping the groceries on his kitchen table. Shopping had been a harder challenge than he had anticipated, having not been entirely sure what humans normally eat; his knowledge of that is dated at best.

“Right. I just wanted to say sorry about earlier.” Leorio says. He sounds almost ashamed.

“Don’t worry about it.” Kurapika dismisses, not wishing to dwell on the argument out of fear of what would come of it.

He nearly lost his composure earlier and that thought scares him deeply. He’s always prided himself on his ability to live amongst humans, not many vampires are able to, one slip up would send him to live away from human towns.

As much as Kurapika finds himself unimpressed with humans, he wouldn’t want to hurt anyone and he certainly wouldn’t want to live on the outskirts of civilization like a common monster.

He begins moving the groceries into the freezer first, nervous Leorio would get off the couch to help him unload the groceries, shoving his blood bags to the very back.

He knows that he’s playing a dangerous game, he only hopes that it can be played until Leorio and Edelweiss are out of the house.

Leorio makes no move to get off the couch and Kurapika moves on from the freezer, taking a shaking breath.

When the groceries are finally unloaded, Leorio hands Edelweiss over to Kurapika and dismisses himself to bed.

Kurapika spends the rest of the day watching the lamb even after Leorio awakes, the man leaving to grab clothes and to visit his college to briefly explain his situation. Edelweiss’s health is steadying out now, but no longer improving. She continues to lift her head on occasion and her breathing is a bit steadier, but the tiredness remains in heavy bouts.

It seems to Kurapika he would be spending more time with Leorio in close quarters.

By the end of the day the empty space next to his shoes are now filled by shoes two times his size. Clothes of varying shades hung up in the closet next to Kurapika’s distinctly monochromatic tastes. Where Kurapika’s available surfaces used to only be occupied by his own books, they’re now joined by medical journals and notebooks.

He’s not sure how that makes him feel.

_March 28th, 1999_

“When’s the last time you ate something?” Leorio asks, eyes peering over at Kurapika from the kitchen.

“Last night.” Kurapika replies, not entirely lying. He had ate last night, just not exactly what Leorio had in mind.

“I’ll make dinner for us then, you like spaghetti?”

Kurapika hesitates, trying to find an excuse and finding nothing.

“Yes, that’s fine. Thank you.” The truth is that he hasn’t eaten human food since he was turned. He used to eat small things like olives or cherries in his earlier days, nostalgic for a taste he no longer needs and in some cases helping him fit in better with humans.

It’s not uncommon for vampires to eat human food. Despite the fact it doesn’t offer them anything more than taste, it used to be an easy cover to hide vampirism before humans learned they technically  could  eat human food.

It is, to his knowledge, unheard of for a vampire to stop eating well over a thousand years ago and then start back up again. He’s not sure how his body will react to this, if at all, but surely it can’t be too terribly bad?

It doesn’t take Leorio long to fill the cottage with the smell of Parmesan cheese and tomato sauce. It’s a nice smell, but Kurapika doesn’t find it appealing like he might have as a human- similar to the way humans enjoy the smell of flowers, but feel no need to eat them.

“Dinner is ready.” Leorio announces and Kurapika sighs to himself, gently maneuvering a sleeping Edelweiss from the couch to her basket on the floor.

They settle at the kitchen table, Leorio’s textbooks and notebooks pushed off to the side in a heap to avoid dirtying them. The other man tucks in quickly, humming in delight as he eats.

Kurapika looks at the unassuming mess of meat, noodles, cheese, and sauce with trepidation.

“You gonna eat?” Leorio asks, an eyebrow raised.

The question is clear on his face, he’s starting to begin to get suspicious of Kurapika’s eating habits.

It’s just food, surely it can’t do much harm, and Leorio seems to like it...

“Yes, sorry, I was... saying grace.” Kurapika fumbles for an excuse, quickly picking up his fork.

“Didn’t take you for the religious type.” Leorio says, almost thoughtfully.

“I’m not really,” Kurapika admits. Leorio doesn’t seem to question it, just going back to his food with a thoughtful hum. Once he has his bite, he looks at Kurapika expectantly, waiting for him to eat.

If Kurapika’s heart wasn’t already stopped in his chest, it would become that way. With Leorio’s eyes on him, there’s no possibility to wiggle out of this.

He gathers the noodles around his fork and brings it to his mouth, taking a tentative bite.

It tastes like ash on his tongue and he barely controls the knee jerk reaction to spit it back on to the plate. He forces himself to chew and nods to Leorio as he does so, letting out a tiny hum to mimic the other man’s earlier reaction.

“Good?” Leorio asks, excitedly. Dark eyes sparkle under the kitchen’s lights, lips upturned in a proud smile. It’s clear that he’s happy with Kurapika’s reaction, or at least proud that someone enjoys his food other than him.

Kurapika likes seeing that look on his face so much better than the tentative look of complete neutrality Leorio has been holding since their argument.

“Great.” He lies, taking another forkful of spaghetti.

Leorio’s bright grin _almost_ makes up for his mouth tasting like an ashtray.

_March 29th, 1999_

Kurapika’s stomach has been turning itself inside out since dinner. He managed to get away with only eating half his plate, claiming he was full, and managed to keep up appearances until Leorio disappeared into Kurapika’s room at eleven p.m.

It’s shortly after midnight now and Kurapika is riddled with stomach cramps so painful he’s curled up on a ball on the couch. Nausea is hitting him like a freight train, almost impossible to bear due to how very little he had ever experienced it and just how long it’s been since that last experience.

Kurapika can handle the piercing sting of being stabbed and the burning heat of gunshot wounds, yet his stomach cramping is what he can’t handle.

He’s almost embarrassed as he hikes his favorite quilt up his body further, curling further in on himself to try to escape the pain radiating from his stomach.

The floorboard in the hallway creaks and Kurapika doesn’t care enough to peer over the top of the couch to see what that’s about. He hears an uneven heartbeat, going just a smidge too fast, but just as quickly identifies it as Leorio’s.

Not that anyone else would be in the cottage, but you can never be too sure.

“You up?” Leorio asks quietly.

Kurapika hums in response, trying not to wince as another stroke of white hot pain hits his stomach.

“I’m just grabbing some water before I go back to sleep.” The other man says.

Kurapika can’t help, but think,  _‘Why would I even care?’_

Except he finds that he does care, not in the sense that it bothers him that Leorio is up or anything, but in the sense that he likes knowing about what Leorio is up to.

The taller man rounds the back of the couch, a glass of water in his hand.

“Budge up.” Leorio says and Kurapika unsteadily rises up from where he’s laying to make room for him. His stomach damn near rolls with the motion and he closes his eyes tight as he tries not to be sick.

Leorio waits quietly until Kurapika finally sits upright, before finally lowering himself to sit next to him. The dark haired man gently tugs the end of the quilt from around Kurapika’s feet, pulling the blanket over his lap.

Even with Kurapika’s legs folded beneath him, they’re pressed in close from Leorio’s insistence to share the quilt. His socked feet are pressed against Leorio’s bare thigh, muscle taunt beneath his toes.

He shuffles and goes to pull his feet away, but Leorio just mutters, “Don’t worry about it.”

It’s a long quiet moment as Leorio takes slow sips of his water and Kurapika tries to maintain a neutral expression with every pulse of white hot pain.

The rush of the babbling creek against the rocks and crickets chirping outside breaks up the dead silent of the night. It’s a sound that instantly soothes Kurapika’s addled mind.

“You know you can take the bed some nights too, right? I appreciate it and all, but I don’t want to intrude more than I already am.” Leorio finally says, his voice a low rumble in an attempt to keep his voice down.

“I’m fine, don’t worry about me. You’re too tall to crowd up on the couch.” Kurapika replies similarly, his voice a hushed mumble in the calm of the cottage. It doesn’t rumble in his chest like Leorio’s, closer to a quiet hum.

Edelweiss lets out a whistling snore.

“You have a point, but seriously, you’re already doing more than enough for me, I can handle sleeping on the couch.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

He won’t keep it in mind for the reasons Leorio may think, focused on his kindness rather than the offer itself.

He’s not sure when the last time he was offered that sort of selfless kindness.

_April 4th, 1999_

The last few days moved quickly and with very little note. Kurapika keeps finding reasons to skirt around meals to avoid a horrible repeat of spaghetti night. Leorio seems to take his excuses with no fuss besides a raised eyebrow, or “You sure?”

Edelweiss has continued to progress in leaps and bounds. She’s more active and has begun latching, eating from a normal bottle instead of being tube fed. If it weren’t for the rattling of her breaths or occasional bouts of lethargy, Kurapika would claim she no longer needs his care.

Beyond that, it’s his birthday. He knows it’s sentimental of him, really what does a thousand and twenty years old even mean in the grand scheme of things, but there’s something exciting about passage of time in Kurapika’s eyes.

Everything moves so quickly, special occasions and holidays almost feel like pit stops amidst the fast track.

In celebration of his many long years, Kurapika takes the day off work. Instead of waking Leorio up at the crack of dawn to watch Edelweiss and heading to work, Kurapika remains on the couch with a weathered book between his hands.

The sun is well in the sky when Leorio wakes up, his heart beat so horribly fast Kurapika prepares to get up and go check on him. Before he can even sit up, heavy feet hit the floor and clumsy, thundering footsteps follow.

“Kurapika! We overslept-“ Leorio slides into the kitchen, socks failing to grip on the tiled floor. His eyes land on Kurapika, who has taken the liberty of propping his body up so as to be seen over the back of the couch.

“Oh.” Leorio murmurs, noticeably embarrassed.

“I don’t have work today so I thought I would let you sleep in.” Kurapika says, barely maintaining his normal close lipped smile.

Leorio is a sight for sore eyes. His dark hair is a mess all over his head, sticking out every which way. Where the man usually doesn’t forget to grab up his glasses, even when in a rush, he had left them in his early morning panic. The exertion has left him panting, mouth just barely parted to let out little huffs of air as his broad chest heaves with the effort. His cheeks are flushed a pretty red, though Kurapika isn’t sure if that particular feature is from activity or embarrassment.

_‘Damn, happy birthday Kurapika.’_ He thinks with an inward sigh, pants tighter than they were just a few seconds ago. His tongue darts out to swipe over his bottom lip briefly and it’s like he can damn near taste the long stretch of skin from collar bone to jaw.

Embarrassed with his own thoughts and his body’s outward reaction, he shifts, laying his book down on his quilt covered lap.

“I didn’t know you had today off.” Leorio admits, scratching his jaw. Scruff is easily making its way across otherwise soft skin from where the man had been too busy to sit down and shave.

“Mhm, I took off for my birthday.” Kurapika hums out, turning his eyes back to the book laying across his legs.

“It’s your birthday?” Leorio asks.

“Yes, I’m twenty five.” He really hopes he remembered the age he gave Leorio correctly, twenty four is usually his go-to.

“Why didn’t you tell me? We could’ve had a party. Invited your friends from the hospital and Melody-“

“I don’t really speak to anyone at the hospital. Thank you for the sentiment anyway.” Kurapika interrupts gently before Leorio can go off on too long of a tangent.

“I can at least make you a cake. Do you like cake? I can run out to the store and get icing.” Leorio offers and Kurapika peers up from his book hesitantly.

The last thing he wants is to eat cake.

“I don’t like cake, really, you don’t need to make a fuss.”

Leorio frowns and mutters, “I am  not  making a fuss.”

“Of course not.” Kurapika replies amusedly.

The other man’s face contorts in quiet consideration for a few peaceful moments and then says, “Is there anything we can do? It doesn’t have to be a big deal but the least we can do is go out.”

That’s how Kurapika finds himself in a small field less than a mile out from the cottage, a rare flat area of grass amongst the foliage. Leorio is ahead of him, a large wicker basket pressed into the crook of his arm full of various treats and snacks he made sure to keep a secret from Kurapika as he packed.

Edelweiss is gently held in Kurapika’s arms, more alert in this moment than she had been the entirety of the time she had been with them. Head lifted and eyes attentively scanning everything which way, basking in the sun from her easy position in his arms.

The two men make for a strange pair- Leorio had worn a funnily patterned Hawaiian shirt and jean shorts citing the surprisingly warm afternoon. Kurapika’s outfit is much more conservative in an attempt to shade his skin, slinky black bell bottom pants and a flowing long sleeved button up accompanying his forever present wide-brimmed hat.

Leorio casts a cheeky grin over his shoulder as he sets the basket down on the grass and begins tossing a quilt over the grass, not Kurapika’s favorite quilt, just a random threadbare one hidden in the dark recesses of the hallway closet. The weight of the quilt stamps down the ankle-length grass with ease and Kurapika can only hope that combined with the still relative chill in the air would keep any snakes far away.

Kurapika stands back for a moment and just watches him, feigning a break. He watches the muscles in his back roll and contract as he flicks out the blanket in a wide arc to straighten it out, watches the firm muscle of his calves constrict as Leorio squats down to untuck one of the folded over corners.

The sun is highlighting his skin in a magnificent array of golden honey brown and Kurapika almost feels like he’s watching his own little bit of magic as the sun catches the other man’s eyes and turns the color to liquid sunshine.

Seemingly satisfied with the state of the quilt, Leorio lowers himself out onto the fabric, stretching his legs out widely in a show of tiredness. His height takes up a considerable amount of the blanket, even if he hadn’t decided to stretch his legs from one end of the blanket to the other.

Leorio grins again, he seems to be doing a lot of that today, and pats the empty space left between the gap in his legs. Kurapika could easily sit there without even touching Leorio, so he does, lowering himself and Edelweiss gently to the blanket.

About as soon as Kurapika sits down and settles Edelweiss on the blanket instead of in his arms, does she stand and start taking staggering steps into the grass. Walking isn’t a new thing for her by any measure and still Leorio lets out a startled  _‘Woah!’_ when she takes off.

Taking off being a very generous word for cautious steps that lead to clumsy jumps and hops as Edelweiss plays in the relatively long grass. She trips over herself, tumbles, and Kurapika is holding out a hand to stop Leorio before either of them realize he has jolted forward to help her up.

“Let her do it herself.” Kurapika says quietly and it’s not long before the lamb is getting to her feet and starting the process all over again. He had been holding off the idea of getting another a lamb for sometime now, considering the state of her health, but seeing this has only confirmed that she would be ready soon.

Based on this development alone Kurapika is almost certain she could go off of her antibiotics within the week and if she continued to remain well afterwards, she could be moved outside. She couldn’t remain inside forever, after all.

Regardless of readiness, sheep are not solidarity, the idea would have to come up at some point.

“Have you considered getting another one?” Kurapika asks, breaking up the quiet calm that had taken over the two men.

“Should I?” Leorio asks hesitantly, tearing his eyes from the lamb to hold Kurapika’s gaze.

“Yes, probably. Sheep are not meant to live alone and she’s certainly doing well enough now.”

Leorio scratches his jaw- he still hasn’t shaved- Kurapika tries not to follow the motion too closely.

“I’ve been thinking about that, I’m not too sure what I’m going to do about Edelweiss. The place I’m living now doesn’t exactly have a yard suitable for her and I’m not sure if I can find one that will. I’ll probably rehome her- not that I really want to.” Leorio admits, voice a bit heavy.

He looks so upset as he says it that Kurapika’s heart twists.

He blames the kicked puppy look for what he says next, “Why don’t the two of you just stay here?”

“What?” Leorio asks, eyebrows raised so high they could get lost in his hairline.

“Just stay here. I’ve got plenty of room and you’ve been staying here thus far.” Kurapika soldiers on despite the suddenness of the idea.

Now that he’s thinking of it, he can’t shake it.

He’s liked having company,  _loved_ it even, Leorio going back to his place leaves a bitter taste in Kurapika’s mouth he can’t bring himself to address. He’s not thinking clearly about himself or the blood bags in the freezer or anything. His mind is far too occupied with sunshine eyes and too-big-for-his-body hands.

“I-“ Leorio stutters out, staring at Kurapika like he’s not sure who he is, “I don’t know.”

“Think about it.” Kurapika dismisses, stomach heavy with embarrassment.

He’s forced then to realize that Leorio  doesn’t  know who he is. That he’s been damn near dreaming of honeyed eyes and soft skin and  _dimples above_ \- and that Leorio doesn’t know him at all.

He doesn’t know him and Kurapika has already fallen off the deep end, plunging into murky depths that he only traveled once before with no success.

Oh heavens above, Kurapika is developing  _feelings_ for this man.

Fallen for his sleepy rasp, slightly too heavy footsteps, and grin so wide it could damn near split his face. Fallen for quiet hums and clumsy cooking and the way Leorio always just takes a moment to step back and take him in for all that he is.

Worst of it all, Kurapika never saw it coming, never saw it leading to this. Now that he’s here he can’t stop it and he almost wishes that he  wants  to.

There’s nothing good to come of this, it’s almost certain, but he smiles at the other man despite it.

“What did you pack for us?” Kurapika asks and the moment passes.

Leorio is happy to change the subject, jumping into opening up the wicker basket and passing small containers to Kurapika.

“Just a few packages of fruit and some small sandwiches- I hope that’s okay.”

“Yes, that’s fine.” He says with a closed grin, taking the packages in hand and placing them between the two of their bodies. He hopes smaller substances will go down easier than the spaghetti or he would be spending his one thousand and twentieth birthday in pain.

Leorio scratches his jaw again, seeming to consider his words for a moment. His mouth opens, closes, and presses into a thin line several times before Kurapika finally snaps.

“If you have something to say, just say it.” Kurapika says, bluntly but not unkindly.

“I just noticed your eating habits aren’t exactly... the healthiest. You’ve always already ate when I ask and when I do see you eat it isn’t a lot and I’m worried about your health. Do you... have a problem with disordered eating, Kurapika?” His eyes look so earnest that Kurapika tries to choke back his laughter bubbling in his chest.

“No, Leorio, I promise you I’m just fine. Let’s eat some of these fruits, okay?”

_April 7th, 1999_

Leorio comes back to the cottage with another lamb with black fur and a portion of the tip of her ear missing.

“Her name is Harriet.” Leorio supplies, seeming far too proud of himself.

Kurapika buys the materials and starts building a barn out back near the creak that same night.

**Author's Note:**

> Any and all parts about lamb care came from what I could find online, if anything is wrong I apologize in advance and recommend you don’t use any advice given to you about lambs from a Leopika vampire au.
> 
> Updates may be slow, writing this chapter took a while due to how long it is.
> 
> -Bias


End file.
